[cthoops]

We had trouble raising the jib in our roller furler last season because we didn't think to put SailKote in the slot before the mast was stepped. At the end of the season when we took the sail down, it was clear that our efforts had caused a bit of damage to the luff.

Any ideas as to how to repair this? Perhaps it's as simple as some tape?

Thanks.

 

[Faster]

Tape might add enough bulk to cause more drag in the luff groove.. A sailmaker won't charge a lot to clean that up.. even if the whole luff tape has to be replaced.

 

[HUGOSALT]

Yes, agree with Faster on both accounts,
tape probably to bulky...sailmaker will make short work of repair.

 

[cthoops]

Thanks for the sailmaker suggestion. I hadn't thought of that. I do have a sewing machine though, and might want to give this a try myself. Any DIY suggestions?

 

[RichH]

For DIY repair:
In your pic, the stitching that holds the 'cord' in its sleeve in the 'front most' portion is missing - A good indicator that the entire run of stitching is weak. The usual course is to totally replace the entire "Continuous Support Tape".

To replace the Continuous Support Tape ..... sailrite.com/easearch#!&ea_q=luff%20support%20tape ..... needs to be 'sized' to the exact furling foil .... by model number designation of the foil.

The sewing has to be precise ... or you can alter the 'shape' of the sail when flown.

If your sewing machine is 'strong enough' to 'punch' through several layers of the reinforcing patches in the tack and head 'corners', replace the entire support tape.

If not strong enough (you have a 'dressmakers' sewing machine) - use a 'ball point' needle and V69 polyester sail thread and replace only the existing support tape between the reinforcement patches .... adding a lot of extra binding stitches at the ends on the SAIL to keep the ends in place. For the old support tape still attached to the area of the reinforcing patches - do NOT cut the stitches that hold the tape to the sail, cut away the all the tape that is in front of the stitching - the new support tape will be a bit 'shorter', will only be BETWEEN the patches; but, should work just as well for this sized jib.
Spraying the polyester thread with a teflon dry lubricant during sewing will help keep the stitching consistent, even, and help prevent the 'foot' of the sewing machine from 'jumping' when the needle is extracted out of the cloth .... set the foot pressure adjustment to FULL ON with a dressmakers type machine. Sew as SLOW as the dressmakers machine will go.
Spray/soak the surface of the thread spool often, spray the thread loaded 'bobbin' every time you reinstall.

List of 'stuff' that you'll need:
Search support tape
Search thread
Seamstick 3/8" Basting Tape (50 Yds) basting tape
Use a 'ballpoint' sewing machine needle of the correct size for V69 thread .... look up the 'thread to needle match' data on the Sailrite website - use the recommended needle size based on YOUR machine, not the Sailrite data.

 

[cthoops]

Rich,

Thank you so much for taking the time to detail all of this. I truly appreciate it. I have a regular 'dressmakers' machine, but am planning to get a Sailrite at some point in the future.

Thanks again. I'm looking forward to giving this a shot.

 

[Faster]

That was a great write-up by Rich, but half way through I started looking for my sailmaker's number!

 

[RichH]

Thanks Ron, appreciate the kudos.

FWIW and since this is a relatively smallish area jib (Bristol 24) ........

Your pic really doesnt show any fiber breakage other than the 'fuzz' from the apparent abrasion.
If not tooooo many fibers are broken ...fibers that are parallel to the horizontal ... and the broken/abraded area in NOT near the 'corners' of the sail, simply cut away the fuzz with a scissors and then quickly 'heat seal' the remainder with a propane torch - quickly pass the flame so that you 'seal' the frayed ends - to prevent further unravelling.
Purchase the replacement 'stuff' to keep it all ready to go .... but if there remains a LOT of those 'horizontal' fibers and the area in towards the 'middle' of the sail .... your grandchildren will probably inherit the unused stuff. ;-)

 

[DonScribner]

Hoops,

how old is the machine? Or better put, are the gizzards plastic or metal? Take your time and you can probably do the work yourself with an "older" machine. We are in the middle of making a new mainsail from a Saikrite kit and only having trouble when we get to 6 layers of cloth. We're getting it done but it takes a little patience to get the needle started then you have to go like crazy to let the flywheel do its stuff.

 

[overbored]

Spinnaker ripstop nylon repair tape works good. very thin with adhesive on one side. if you are only going to hoist it once a season. have several pieces on my cruising genoa that has lasted 4 years.

 

[paul323]

Good comments already; a few other hints:

Even a Sailrite machine can't always handle the layups in the corners without skipping the odd stitch, or breaking the needle. I ended up using a hammer and nails before I manually stitched the last few loops. I guess I was at around 8-10 layers of 7.4oz Dacron by then, plus the UV protection...

Also, if you do want to replace the continuous support tape, you'll have two challenges: as previously described, maintaining the shape of the sail. I recommend stapling the tape onto the sail. Second, be careful how you feed the sail into the machine. The "walking foot" pulls most materials through pretty well, but a full-sized sail is heavy, and so you need to be careful to feed the sail into the machine, not to let the machine try and pull it through.

Finally, I used a singer machine when I first started repairing sails. It worked okay, but the repairs never lasted more than a season. The machine simply did not have the strength to penetrate the cloth, and then tighten the loops. I think doing it yourself is a great idea, but unless your machine is up to it the results may be disappointing. Like many people, the Sailrite machine was expensive for me - but has already paid back in terms of numerous small projects (plus personal satisfaction!)

 

[TQA]

Spinnaker ripstop nylon repair tape works good. very thin with adhesive on one side. if you are only going to hoist it once a season. have several pieces on my cruising genoa that has lasted 4 years.

WHOA THERE Do not use sail repair tape in the region UNLESS you sew the top and bottom edges.

Without that there is a near certainty that the tape will ball up and jam the sail in the foil track.